Willbird

I started riding again June 1, riding a 2001 Trek 7200 which is a hybrid, but I'm shopping road bikes to buy in October.
Rode just over 300 miles in June, on track for 400 in July, broke through 14mph the last two days..almost 15 today (14.91) for a 20 mile ride......not super rough roads, but not as smooth as the st routes..maybe -1mph for pavement ?

My present bike is 28/38/48 up front, came with an 8 speed 11-34 in the back, and I swapped that for a 12-25......with no wind I live on the middle chain ring up front, with a 6mph wind I run into the wind at around 12 on the middle ring and with the wind at my back I run on the big ring at 17-18.

So with the terrain here being typically 70-100 feet of ascent/descent for 20 miles even on a 6mph wind day my 38/25 is a low enough gear....maybe BARELY enough...but enough.

Looking at the Felt Z85 or possibly the Z95...will get hands on a Z95 my size and a Z85 too small for me this weekend.

At first the compact cranksets looked great, but looking honestly at my ride each day it looks to me like the bigger cogs will not get used much on the small crank ring.

So am I nuts to think about the Z95 but maybe dropping in a 105 non compact crankset ?? That would run either 53-36 or 52-36 up front, and 11-32 across the back 9 speeds with the stock cassette.

Would I be happier for longer with the Z95 and a crank upgrade than buying the Z85 and having to stick to the compact crank for awile but having 11 speeds across the back instead of 9 ?

Decisions decisions :-).

5' 8" rider 49 year young rider, presently 256 lbs, will be sub 200 by January 1....will be 160 by April 2015 :-).
Pretty much looks like I will devote about 90 minutes a day to riding when it is not raining....more on weekends, long term goal 100-200 mile rides sometimes :-).

Willbird

Another factor is it looks like the new 105 crankset can run either compact or non compact chainrings ?? And the Z95 would be slated for a 105 upgrade to 11 speed in probably a year or two...so the 105 crank would be headed in that direction.

Edit: Maybe I deserve a little bit of a "DOH" here hehe, because if I get a 2015 Z85 going to non compact setup is just a chainring swap possibly because it will have the "new" 105 group ??
Bill

redlude97

at your speeds you'll barely be using the 50T let alone a 52/53. Sounds like you could use a 50/36 or even a 36/46

seymour1910

Subjective topic but in my opinion you will be fine with a 50-34. As you ride more you will probably encounter different terrain than your normal rides now. If you do century rides in the future that may have rolling hills you can benefit from the compact. Just choose the right cassette.

My area is pretty flat. Not pretty flat but really flat. On my typical 30 miler I may get 25 feet of climbing. So, for riding around here I have a standard 53-39 and my cassette is 12-26. That's fine for my daily rides but Earlier this year I travled more north and did a 40 mile ride with almost 3,000 feet of climbing and I was hurting. I was wishing I had a compact crank and a 28t cog in the rear.

bikerjp

No, you haven't outgrown a compact. A compact 50/34 with a narrow 11-25 or 11-23 in the back would likely be more than enough for any average rider on generally flat roads. You can also swap cassettes pretty easy for various conditions if you need to. You are not going to spin out 50/11 except on steep downhills where you will just coast anyway. You might not need the 34/25 much but that's no reason to bump to a standard up front and you might ride other places where you do have a bit more climbing. When you can ride sustained 25mph + then worry about outgrowing the compact.

Team Sarcasm

Get a compact crank and adjust the cassette. I only read the first segment and the last but if youre on the middle ring of the triple a lot, you will not be happy on a standard crank.

Also, congrats on becoming active. Not to burst your bubble, but dont shoot too high with the weight goals. Odds are you didnt gain 56lbs in 5 months (jan 1st goal) so dont expect to loose 50lbs in 5 months unless you bike hard and diet harder. Anything is possible but remember that you have to fuel your body for riding and there is a fine line between the right amount of kcals/nutrients and damaging your body from not enough kcals and nutrients.

Square Wheels

I am a new rider and I went with a 50/34. I live in New England and while it's not mountainous it is hilly. I ride a lot in the big ring, but I am also happy to have a small, small ring. I have an 11/28 cassette. If I were to ride a flat area in my 50 / 11 combination that would put me over 30mph. I might be able to do that, but not for long.

I am happy to have a compact.

bikerjp

Yeah, I went from 225 to 200 in 6 months of fairly consistent riding and then plateaued. I have bounced between a low of 1905 and high of 210 ever since. The dream of 190 is still nothing but a dream 3.5 years on. Us middle aged bigger guys are not going to return to our teen weight without some drastic efforts. However, I look just fine at 200lbs - I'm just not a very fast climber.

Willbird

I'm using an ap that I can set the loss, unless something drastic happens -1% of total weight a week is pretty readily achieved :-).

I like setting goals, then shattering them :-).

I will not cry if I do not go sub 200 by January 1, or 160 by April, but they are not unrealistic goals :-). I have "cut" before from 300+ to sub 200 WITHOUT any exercise....then ate one pizza at a time for 6-8 years and gained it back :-).

Good input on the cassette swap, that is a fairly cheap swap really...and I had also considered that.

I really like the Z85 more :-)....if I will be happy with it as is for awile then that really makes the decision easier :-).

Jseis 

Bicycle Bike Gear Ratio Speed and Cadence Calculator

Study real hard and plug in your cadence, gear sets, etc. Reality will creep in. I roll with a 50:39 and 13:29 (9 speed cassette) simply because mostly flat here and I'm working to get into the 17-18 mph zone solo (ugh..I'm 59). Sure wish I had a 34 small upfront for the 6% hills.

kc0bbq

If I cross-chained all the way to my 11 cog in the 34 ring I'd hit 30mph about where I start bouncing in the saddle.

Unless you're really, really fast, the only reason I'd switch is if you like the spread of gear ratios more with the standard rings. 50-11 is over 40mph at 120 rpms.

slowride454

I run a compact crank on both of my road bikes, I cannot spin out the top gear on either one. I do love the 34/36 low gear with a MTB cassette and X9 RD on my commuter bike.

Team Sarcasm

I am one to set my goals high, so more power too you

bikerjp

Really? 2lbs a week is not easy. Seriously overweight people can drop a lot of weight early on but some of it is water weight and it's not sustainable. The closer you get to your ideal weight the harder it is to lose more. 2lbs a week is about 1000cal/day more than you consume. Burning an extra 1000 calories would be a pretty hard 2 hour ride and you'll likely eat more due to the effort so you really might need to ride 3 hours. While certainly doable, it's not "readily achieved". You can cut calories in addition to exercise. Easier and longer zone 2 rides may be more effective as you end up not feeling as hungry and therefore don't eat all your calories back. Not trying to burst your bubble, but not sure your goals are realistic.

In any case, good luck. Regardless of what you actually achieve, exercising more and losing weight are worthwhile endeavors.

jerrycan42

Don't listen to these guys. Get a 56 up front and throw a corn cob on the back that starts at 11...everything else is just a waste of time for you.

contango 

If you're "almost reaching 15mph" then a 50t chainring will be more than enough.

I'm about 6'4, weigh about 240-250 and run a 50-39-30 chainring. When the road is clear (which sometimes happens, even in London) I'll be aiming to cruise 18-20mph on the flats unless there's a nasty headwind. If I'm after a short hard ride I'll try and push faster. That's in the big ring and using about a 15t sprocket at the back. I run an 11-32 at the back but seldom use the smallest few sprockets.

If you go for a 50-34 compact your small ring will be a little lower than your current middle ring and your big ring will be slightly higher than your current big ring. So you'll have room to grow into the bike, especially if you aren't currently using your big ring much.

If you ride anywhere with more hills you might be thankful for some lower gearing, especially since you're not even close to needing the highest gearing you've currently got.

WhyFi

Flat terrain, you live on a 38T on windless days and typically run a 48/17 when you have the wind at your back? No, you haven't outgrown a compact.

WhyFi

One thing that has only been touched on briefly, and I think might be helpful to address, is cadence. Everybody is different but 80-100 is a sporting but comfortable cadence for a lot of people and 120 is not terribly uncommon for short periods even for many recreational riders. Now, let's assume that, with the wind at your back and in the 48/17, you're cruising at about 18 mph (just a round number assuming that your 15mph average is a little lower than your cruising speed, [because of intersections, etc]). With those assumptions, we're at a cadence of about 80. The difference between 80 and 110-120 is pretty significant, so you've got plenty of headroom on that gear alone, not even to talk about another gearing combo or new crankset.

You're doing well and making good progress, but even with your current set-up isn't holding you back as far as gearing is concerned.

Leinster

This. If your 38x25 is "barely enough" around your flat terrain, you'll be in need of something much lower if/when you ever venture farther afield.

thehammerdog

Dude, slow it down big fella..I use a compact love it for climbing I do max it out when pounding down hills but until you are over 20mph on an average ride it's all good.
Just ride.

stanleyl

You haven't out grown the compact. You just haven't challenged yourself enough yet. I ride > 500 miles per month and average 20 mph / spin to 30 mph on flat. Yet, I still haven't out grown my 50/34 30/12. Compact is especially useful when you need to attack long steep hills or need to keep up with cars from stop.

Team Sarcasm

my fitness pal? I use that, pretty useful actually.

invest in a computer w/a hrm to calculate kcal usage.

Black wallnut 

When you can spin 120 rpm in your big ring and smallest cog you will have outgrown a compact until that happens enjoy your bike.

Willbird

I'm not sure it is "easy" but 1% a week for me about 5 years ago was totally doable, it is all calories in vs burn, that cut I are about 2000 calories the whole way with no aps to track. Right now I'm at 2222 and drop 2 to 2-1/2 a week like clockwork. The ap lowers intake after every 10 lbs of loss .

Willbird

I do not have any way to measure cadence at present :-). I do usually peak out around 25 at one portion of the ride every day....downhill with a tailwind yes :-)...little hills tho :-).